AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s slow-going,” I confessed. “And the Conjurites have a lot of resentment toward us.”
“What do you mean?” Erol asked. “I made it very clear, when I sent out the word that you were coming to help, that it was a choice, and no one would force them into anything.”
I nodded. “The woman we helped chose to turn back to the light, but her daughter…well, that wasn’t so easy. She wasn’t only against the idea, she was also againstus. She saw us as the enemy, and I’m sure she’s not the only one.”
Erol shook his head. “The war is long over. We’re still recovering in some ways—it never clears up quickly—but surely, with Rainier being the rightful king after Falx died—”
“She’s upset about what Ellie did in the villages when Falx sent her to destroy them,” I said, interrupting his train of thought before he came to the wrong conclusions. “They don’t understand why they should trust people who are willing to hurt them for no good reason.”
Erol stared at me.
“I remember that day,” he said in a brittle voice. “The destruction was vast, and it tore her apart. It was hard to watch—I knew she hadn’t wanted it, and Falx was doing it through her.” He looked down at his plate and pushed away the remainder of his soup, his appetite spoiled. “I stood by and did nothing.” His remorse was so strong, I could almost feel it in the air.
“You didn’t have much of a choice, did you?” I argued.
Erol shook his head. “If I’d stopped her, Falx would have had me killed, and then taken out his anger on Ellie, and possibly even the people in that village. It would have been worse for everybody involved.”
I nodded. “You were all puppets. That’s how I feel about the Conjurite magic, too. The Conjurites can’t help what they do and can’t escape it by themselves. That’s why we’re here to help. I just don’t know how to do it. We’re already struggling with how slow it is and how long it takes us to do, and the risk it poses if we lose someone again. If they fight us on it, and see us as the enemy rather than people who are here to help…”
“Leave it to me,” Erol said, his face changing from remorse to determination. “I’ll take care of it.”
“How—”
“Do what you came here to do. I’ll make it right. I’ll make sure you’re as well received as should be expected.”
I wanted to know what he meant by that statement. I didn’t want him to threaten the Conjurites into fear and submission. That would just defeat the point of it being a choice in the first place. It was the Conjurite way of doing things.
I couldn’t demand that Erol tell me how he wanted to change things. I had to show that I trusted him at least in part.
I just hoped it would work out right in the end.
“How is your mother?” Erol asked.
“She’s doing very well,” I said with a smile, thinking about the bond my mom and Zita were creating. “She’s happy, and I love to see that. She’s been through a lot of pain and suffering in her life.”
Erol nodded, and a servant appeared to take away our soup plates to clear the way for the next course.
Plates of seafood appeared in front of us. A salad with shrimp and a divine creamy sauce along with it had me trying my best not to stuff my face.
“I’m glad she’s doing well,” Erol said.
His face changed, and I had a feeling he thought back to the years we’d spent in his dungeon. I didn’t want him to think about that.
“Do you have a family?” I asked to change the topic.
“A mother and a sister. My father…isn’t in the picture. He hasn’t been for a long time.”
I was surprised to hear that.
We ate our entrées while he told me about his mother and his sister, about the house he’d bought them not too far away, and how he tried to make sure they were still all right through it all.
When the main course arrived, it was roasted duck with vegetables and wild rice. I frowned when I also saw Orbin on my plate. The green vegetable was a delicacy in Jasfin, and only the nobility and royal family ate it in abundance because it was so hard to grow throughout the year.
“Where did you find this?” I asked.
“I had it sent from Jasfin for tonight,” Erol said. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” I said and took a bite, groaning with delight.
